Ship partition and lining construction

ABSTRACT

Laterally spaced vertical securing members in the form of telescoping tubes support respective sides of lining panels extending therebetween. The outer tubular support member is formed by a pair of U-shaped members whose vertical flanges extend outwardly therefrom in the plane of the panels, lie faceto-face and carry hooks which extend at right angles away from the flanges at their outer edges on both sides of the outer support member. Slots within the panels of a width in excess of the hooks and at positions corresponding to the hooks permit the panels to be hung thereon. The panels terminate in L-shaped recesses at their edges and an L-shaped vibration dampener is sandwiched within the recess and between the panel and right angle wall portions of the outer vertical tubular support member. The inner telescoping tubular member may be slotted at the top at right angles to the plane of the panel supported thereby, and a plate is welded within the slot and to the upper deck to securely position the vertical support member. U-shaped backing spacers having a lengthwise dimension corresponding to the lateral width of the partition and lining are slotted adjacent both ends to receive the hooks and retain adjacent vertical support members at desired spaced intervals.

1 May 28, 1974 SHIP PARTITION AND LINING CONSTRUCTION [76] lnventors:Masahiko Shirota, No. 2-15-4,

Hiratsuka, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Tomoji Nagano, l-l l-409,Chayamadai-danchi, No. 2-1, Chayamadai, Sakai-shi, Osaka, both of Japan[22] Filed: Oct. 2, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 293,894

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Primary ExaminerTrygve M. BlixAssistant Examiner-Stuart M. Goldstein Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sughrue,Rothwell, Mion, Zinn & Macpeak [5 7] ABSTRACT Laterally spaced verticalsecuring members in the form of telescoping tubes support respectivesides of lining panels extending therebetween. The outer tubular supportmember is formed by a pair of U-shaped members whose vertical flangesextend outwardly therefrom in the plane of the panels, lie face-to-faceand carry hooks which extend at right angles away from the flanges attheir outer edges on both sides of the outer support member. Slotswithin the panels of a width in excess of the hooks and at positionscorresponding to the hooks permit the panels to be hung thereon. Thepanels terminate in L-shaped recesses at their edges and an L-shapedvibration dampener is sandwiched within the recess and between the paneland right angle wall portions of the outer vertical tubular supportmember.

The inner telescoping tubular member may be slotted at the top at rightangles to the plane of the panel supported thereby, and a plate iswelded within the slot and to the upper deck to securely position thevertical support member. U-shaped backing spacers having a lengthwisedimension corresponding to the lateral width of the partition and liningare slotted adjacent both ends to receive the hooks and retain adjacentvertical support members at desired spaced intervals.

9 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures mmmmm m4 3812.808

' sum 1 m 5 (JIM EATENTED MAY 28 I974 SHEET 2 Bf 5 FIG.

I 1 SHIP PARTITION AND LINING CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONlike, and this may result in substantial deformation to the portions ofthe ship. Therefore, the interior equipment within the ship must be soconstituted as to withstand considerable forces and deformations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the general object of this invention toprovide a partition and lining for a ship which can withstand th forcesproduced and the deformation of the ship whilj operating at sea andpermitted to operate in a stab] i state. In particular, the partitionand lining of the present invention is characterized by employingvertically\ telescoping members such as an outer post member, whichcarries an inner securing member at the top with vertically extendingplates at both sides of the post, forwardly extending hooks beingprovided at the outer edge of the extending plates defined preferably bythe flanges of face-to'face U-shaped members forming thei post andleaving a suitable space between the hooks and the sidewall of the postU-shaped portion. The rear of the lining or partition panel at bothedges is provided with slots correspondingly positioned and opposite tothe hooks with the horizontal width of the slots being considerablygreater than the thickness of the plate of the hook. The base portion ofthe post and the top portion of the securing member are fixed and weldedto the upper surface of the lower deck and the lower surface of theupper deck, respectively, and thereafter the lining or partition panelsare connected to the posts by engaging the hooks with the slots of thepanels. Preferably, a vibration proof member is inserted between thecontacting parts of the panels and the posts. The securing member isslidably telescoped into the upper portion of the post and carries aslot, preferably at right angles to the plane of the panels, and apositioning plate is welded at its top edge to the lower surface of thetop deck of the ship with its lower portion in sliding engagement withthe slot of the securing member permitting control positioning of thepost. After precise positioning of the post, the securing member iswelded to the positioning member at the area surrounding the slot.Backing spacers constituting a portion of the partition and liner panelsdetermine the spacing between the adjacent posts supporting thepartition and liner panels with the backing spacers having a lengthwisedimension corresponding to the lateral width of the partition and linerpanels to be installed between posts, with each backing spacer includingtransverse slots located adjacent the ends for receiving the hooks toretain the adjacent posts at desired spaced intervals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic elevational viewof the improved ship partition and lining construction of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view, in section, of a portion of the partitionand lining construction of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is vertical, sectional view of a portion of the construction ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of a portion of theconstruction of FIGS. l-3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view, of a modified arrangement of the shippartition and lining arrangement of the present invention, showing amethod of welding the vertical posts in position after properly locatingthe same.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a partition construction of an alternateembodiment of the present invention'withparts broken away as installedin a manner forming an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken about line VIl-VII ofFIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken about line VIII-VIII ofFIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged front view of a partition of the type illustratedin FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the illustratedembodiment of FIGS. 1-4 inclusive, the schematic illustration of FIG. 1shows an inner sectional view of a ship, wherein numeral 1 designatesthe lower deck, 2 the upper deck, 4 a post vertically supporting liningpanels 3 provided between the lower and upper decks. A baseboard 5 isprovided at the lower part of the panel of lining plate 3, a ceiling 6being secured to the lower part of the upper deck 2. The details of thisembodiment of the invention are illustrated in FIGS. 2-4 inclusive whichis constituted essentially by lining panels 3 and the posts 4. The post4 is constituted by an outer rectangular tubular support member 11 and atelescoping upper securing member 13 carrying the support member 11 atthe top thereof. In this embodiment, preferably member 13 is elasticallyand frictionally contacted with the inner surface of the support member11 by a suitable spring (not shown). Essentially, the support member 11is formed by two abutting U-shaped members in which vertical flanges 22extending along both sides of the U-shaped members form verticallyextending plates 14. At the outer edges of the plates 14, which extendin the plane of the panels and outwardly of the support member 11 atvertically spaced positions, hooks 15 which extend at right angles tothe flanges 22 are formed, the hooks defining slots 23 which faceupwardly and providing a defined space between the hooks and the plates14. Each lining panel 3 is so constructed as to hold core member 17between the surfaces of metal plates 16 on each side thereof. An edgemember 18 which is of modified S- shaped configuration, in crosssection, is secured between the plates 16. The edge member 18 isprovided with a slot 19 on the rear surface of the same at each positioncorresponding to each hook 15 of the support member 11. The width of theslot is substantially greater then the thickness of the hook l5 and thelining panel 3 is adjustable to a certain extent with respect to thehook portion. In this respect, vibration proof members 20, which areillustrated as being generally L- shaped in configuration in crosssection and which may be formed of a material such as rubber or thelike, are secured to the upper portions of the slots of the edge member18 in order to absorb vibration and to provide an air-tight constructionfor the assembled partition and lining. In the illustrated arrangement,the partition and lining is formed by an assembly method which comprisesthe steps of securing the base portion of the vertical support member 11to the lower deck 1 of the ship by welding the same thereto as aninitial step. The upper securing member 13 is pulled upwardly in atelescoping manner and is secured to the bottom surface of the upperdeck by similar welding or the like, whereby the post 4 is securelyfixed in vertical position between the decks. Vibration proof members 21are then positioned between both edges of the lining panel 3 and thesupport member 11, and the books 15 engage with the corresponding slots19, respectively, thus the lining panel 3 is thereby supported by thesupport member 11.

In the partition and lining arrangement of this embodiment, since thesupport is supported by a separable, telescoping upper securing member13, even if the ceiling or deck vibrates under forces applied to theship while at sea, there is never an excessive force applied to the postand the lining or partition is supported in a stable state. By theemployment of the hook and the slot between the lining and partitionpanels and the vertical posts, since the width of the slot is wider thanthe thickness of the hook, under complex deformation, such as changes inposition or deformations between supports, the deformations are canceledby the movement of the slot portion to the right or the left on thehook. Thus, excessive force is never applied to the lining or partitionpanel. As described above, in this embodiment of the invention, even ifcomplex deformations are caused at the upper and lower decks while atsea, damages of the lining panels and the supports or the partitionpanels caused by excessive force is thereby prevented and the lining andpartition panels are maintained in a stable state even at inclinedportions of the deck subject to camber and shear and the like.

Turning next to the embodiment of FIG. 5, it is well known that due toviolent pitching or rolling of vessels and ships during travel, theships are subjected to very large forces and oscillations in conjunctionwith the operation of the ships engine, which results in unexpectedwarps or variation in position of the structural.

members of the vessel. Partitions and liners thus must be installed insuch a manner as to provide substantial stability and rigidity to thestructure in order to withstand such severe conditions. In accordancewith the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 5, stabilityand rigid installation of the partitions and linings result primarilyfrom the accurate position of the posts sustaining the partitions andliners. In addition, the manner of rigidly connecting the partitions torespective suspension means for the posts is critical. Normally,metallic screws, bolts and nuts cannot be employed for this purpose.Turning to FIG. 5, the arrangement of the present invention in theillustrated embodiment comprises the use of a securing member 13 whichis of tubular form and telescopes within the support member 11, in thisembodiment like elements being given like numerical designations tothose appearing in the embodiments of FIGS. 1-4 inclusive. In thisrespect, the support member 11 has supported thereon by the employmentof the hook and slot means, a plurality of lining panels indicatedgenerally at 3. In this case, the securing member 13 is telescoped intothe upper portion of the support member 11 and extends upwardlytherefrom. At the very top of the securing member 13, there is provideda transverse slot 24 which extends generally at right angles to theplane of the plates 14 of the outer tubular support member 11, the slot24 receiving the lower end of a positioning plate 25 which is of athickness approximating the width of the slot 24 within which it isreceived. The upper edge of the positioning plate 25 abuts the bottomsurface of the upper deck 2 and is rigidly secured thereto by a weldindicated at W in substantially right angle vertical relation, further,the positioning plate 25 is oriented correspondingly to slot 24, thatis, at right angles to the plane of the plates 14 of the support memberl 1. Thus, consistent vertical alignment of each post with respect toeach lining panel 3 is achieved by laterally sliding and shifting thepost along the positioning plate 25 which is first welded and fixed tothe bottom surface of the upper deck 2 from which it depends. Thus,after positioning each post in the proper position, the positioningplate 25 is welded to the securing member 13 in the area surrounding theslot 24 by weld designated W.

By contrast, in the prior embodiment, the post is illustrated as beingdirectly welded to the lower deck while the telescoping securing member13 forming a part of the vertical support member defined by theseelements is in turn welded to the bottom surface of the upper deck priorto the installation of the partition and liners. Obviously, afterinstallation, positioning of the posts cannot be compensated toeliminate errors.

In accordance with the present invention in the embodiment shown in FIG.5, however, this problem is overcome, concurrently assuring rapid andprecise positioning installation of partition and liners without theneed for marking on the upper deck prior to installation as well asenabling the presetting of the posts. As a result, the time requiredforinstallation of the partition or lining panels is substantiallyreduced.

Turning next to FIGS. 6-9 inclusive, a third embodiment of the presentinvention is illustrated for further securely and accurately installingthe partition and liner panels within a ship or vessel in a rapid andefficient manner. In contrast to the prior art installation systems, inwhich considerable marking on the posts being used is generally requiredin order to achieve accurate positioning and spacing of the posts, thepresent invention in the embodiment illustrated eliminates the need formarking which is time consuming and, further, as result of slight errorsin the location of the marks which are often found in the fieldassembly, there is much time and labor required for compensation becauseof the oscillation and rolling of the vessel. Reference to FIGS. 6-9inclusive illustrates the present invention as being applied to anassembly in which a plurality of support members ll of similarconfiguration to the prior embodiment and wherein like numeralsdesignate like components, are vertically spaced and supporttherebetween panels such as lining panels 3 at front end or rearlocations as desired. In this respect, a plurality of hooks 15 arespaced along and rigidly secured to the lateral extensions forvertically extending plates 14 of each support member 11. The presentinvention is directed to the employment of a plurality of backingspacers 26 which have a lengthwise dimension corresponding to thelateral width of the partition and the liner panels to be installedthereby such as at 3,

each of the backing spacers 26 being comprised of a U- shaped metalmember and being provided with transverse slots or cut outs 27 throughthe sidewalls 28 which are connected at the top by base 30. The slots orcut outs 27 are located adjacent the respective ends of 5 the backingspacers and in effect define the lateral spacing of the support memberll, since the cut outs or slots 27 receive hooks to retain the adjacentsupport members 11 at desired spaced intervals.

The backing spacers 26, when assembled, constitute a portion of thelining panels such as 3 installed thereby. The hooks 15 are adapted toengage within openings 19 located in the partition and lining panels 3to support and retain the partition and liner panels in place in theidentical manner of the previously described embodiments. Securingmembers 13 are telescoped into the upper portion of the support member11 and are slotted at their upper ends at right angles to the plane ofthe post plates 14 and the lining panels 3 and receive the bottom edgeof positioning plate whose upper edge as in the embodiment of FIG. 5 iswelded to the bottom surface of the upper deck 2, prior to welding thesecuring member R3 to the positioning member 25 as in that embodiment.

In this respect, when the vertical positioning of the support member 11has been suitably controlled, the positioning or adjusting plates 25 arewelded to the securing member 13 adjacent the slits 24 to securely fixthe partition and lining panels 3 in a vertical position. In accordancewith the present invention, in this embodiment, the desired accuratespan between the adjacent posts is provided by simple marking in thefield since lateral positioning of the support member ll is achievedslowly by fitting the cut outs or slots 27 of the backing spacers 26 onthe hooks 15 secured to the lateral extensions or vertical plates ofeach support member 11, the lengthwise dimension of the backing spacerscorresponding to the desired lateral width of the spacing between postsand the corresponding lateral width of the partition and the lining.Thus, the problem of tolerance variation is substantially eliminated,en-' gaging the hooks l5 rigidly secured to the support member 11 withthe cut outs 27 of the backing spacers 26. The lower ends of the supportmembers 11 are welded to a floor channel 29 which is in turn welded tothe surface of the floor or lower deck 1 so as to provide alignment ofthe support members and also lateral dis placement thereof. It is to benoted that the backing spacers 26 provide a certain amount ofreinforcement to the partition and lining to achieve more rigid andstable preset assembly which is particularly advantageous when thelining panels 3 are loaded with a wash bowl, cup receivers and otherdesired attachments.

From the above, it is obvious that in the multiembodiment of the presentinvention, a ships interior may be prefabricated to reduce theconstruction or assembly processes in the field, to effect uniformityand promote quality in the final ships partition and lining and toshorten the date of delivery while improving living conditions withinthe ship and improving the ability of the ship construction to cope withpossible fire. The partitions formed in the multiple embodiments of thepresent invention are such that the work can be done at the camber andshear portions in the ship by a method of assembly which is quitesuitable thereto, errors in the field may be readily corrected,especially in changing the width without necessarily modification to thepanel itself, the backing or furring strips and the like are notrequired in the instant construction, the thickness of the wall may bereadily adjusted in terms of the places where the partitions are beingused, and. the object of the same, the relative deviations in hullconfiguration and location are taken into consideration and even iftwisting of the hull and the like occurs, the surface of the panels isnot readily affected thereby. Further to the above, it is apparent thatthe design of the interconnected parts is unique and the couplinggenerally is hidden, fire protection is enhanced by the scalability andthe vibration absorption characteristics of the packing or vibrationdampener material between the panels and the posts, and since the panelsare coupled to the posts on one side only, the lining and finish of thepanel may be readily prefabricated on one side of the panel, that beingopposite to the side having the slots for engagement with the hookscarried by the post.

What is claimed is:

1. In a partition and lining construction for a ship includinghorizontally spaced, vertically oriented posts extending upwardly from alower deck and supporting respective ends of laterally extending panels,the improvement wherein:

each post comprises a rectangular tubular support member and a securingmember which is telescopingly received within the upper end of saidsupport member,

means fix respective ends of said securing member and said post to saidupper and lower decks, respectively,

each post includes vertical plates which extend laterally to each sidethereof,

a plurality of vertically spaced hooks are carried by each verticalplate and extend outwardly from its edge thereof at right angles theretoand form an 'upwardly open slot therebetween,

slots are formed within said panels at positions corresponding to saidhooks, said slots being wider than the thickness of said hooks toprovide limited lateral movement therebetween, and

means define an L-shaped recess within the end of each panel facing acorresponding corner of said post, and a vibration absorbing member ispositioned within said recess and captured between said panel and rightangle corner surfaces of the post.

2. The partition and lining construction as claimed in claim 1, whereineach panel comprises: metal plates spaced by a core, S-shaped endmembers extending between said plates at respective ends of said panel,and wherein said slots are formed within the side of said S- shaped endmembers at the inner half thereof, and the outer half of said end memberis open and forms said recess.

3. The partition and lining construction as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid securing member comprises: a rectangular tubular member slotted atits upper end at right angles to the plane of said vertical plate, andwherein said means for fixing said securing member to said upper deckcomprises: a positioning plate having its lower end received by saidslot, and its upper edge abutment welded to said upper deck.

4. The partition and lining construction as claimed in claim 3, whereinsaid means for securing said tubular posts at their bottom to the lowerdeck comprises a channel member and welded to said deck with its openface extending parallel to said panel'members and receiving the bottomof said posts.

5. The partition and lining construction as claimed in claim I, furthercomprising: backing spacers extending between adjacent posts, eachbacking spacer comprising a sheet metal member having slots at each endat right angles to the longitudinal axis of the same, said slotsreceiving said hooks to accurately control the lateral spacing of saidposts and said partition and lining panels carried thereby.

6. The partition and lining construction as claimed in claim 5, whereinsaid backing spacers comprise invetted U-shaped metal members havingcorresponding aligned slots within said sidewalls at respective ends andwherein said posts have vertically spaced hooks extend away in oppositedirections along edges of both vertical plates, and wherein slots ofrespective sidewalls of said backing spacer receive corresponding hookwhich extend outwardly from said posts to each sid thereof.

7. In a partition and lining construction for a ship in cludinghorizontally spaced, vertically oriented post extending upwardly from alower deck and supportin respective ends of laterally extending panels,the i provement wherein:

each post comprises a rectangular tubular suppo t member and a securingmember which is telesco ingly received within the upper end of saidsuppo t member,

means fix respective ends of securing member an said post to said upperand lower decks, respe tively, each post includes vertical plates whichextend late ally to each side thereof, a plurality of vertically spacedhooks are carried bfy each vertical plate and extend outwardly from itsedge thereof at right angles thereto and form an upwardly open slottherebetween,

slots are formed within said panels at positions corresponding to saidhooks, said slots being wider than the thickness of said hooks toprovide limited laieral movement therebetween, and wherein, backingspacers comprising a sheet metal member having slots at each end atright angles to the longitudinal axis of the same further receive saidhooks to accurately control'the lateral spacing of said posts and saidpartition and lining panels carried thereby. 8. The partition and liningconstruction as claimed in claim 7, wherein said backing spacerscomprise inverted U-shaped metal members having corresponding alignedslots within the sidewalls thereof at respective ends and whereinvertically spaced hooks-extend in opposite directions along edges ofboth vertical plates and wherein slots of respective sidewalls of saidbacking spacer receive corresponding hooks which extend outwardly fromsaid post to each side thereof.

9. A method for accurately locating a partition or lining for a shipcomprising:

welding positioning plates to the bottom surface of an upper deck atlaterally spaced locations and at right angles to the plane of thepartition to be supported thereby, positioning a plurality ofhorizontally spaced, vertically oriented posts carrying a telescopingsecuring member within the upper end of the same and wherein saidsecuring member is slotted at its upper end in a plane corresponding tothe plane of the positioning plate to be received thereby on said lowerdeck at positions generally corresponding to the positions of saidpositioning plates, and extending said telescoping members such thatsaid slot within each securing member receives the lower end of arespective positioning plate, and

shifting said posts and the securing member carried thereby along theplane defined by the positioning plate and at right angles to the planeof the partition to be supported thereby, until properly positioned, andwelding each positioning plate to its securing member at the engagementarea of said slot and said plate, and welding the bottom of each post tosaid lower deck.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PatentNo.3,812,808 Dated Maya 8,1974

I Masahiko Shirdta et a1 It is certified that error appears in theabove-identified patent and that -said vLetters Patent are herebycorrected as shown below:

In The Specificatiofi:

The Assignee' s names were omitted. Should read;

--DAIMARU co.) LTD.

Osaka, Japan NICHI-BEI BLIND MFG. col, LTD.

J Kanagawa, Japan-- Signed and sealed this 28th day of January 1975.

(SEAL) Attest:

McCOY M. GIBSON JR. 0. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer" Commissioner ofPatents FORM P0-1050 (10-69) UscOMM-DC scan-ps9 I U.S GOVERNHE NYPRINTING OFFICE: 9 93 o

1. In a partition and lining construction for a ship includinghorizontally spaced, vertically oriented posts extending upwardly from alower deck and supporting respective ends of laterally extending panels,the improvement wherein: each post comprises a rectangular tubularsupport member and a securing member which is telescopingly receivedwithin the upper end of said support member, means fix respective endsof said securing member and said post to said upper and lower decks,respectively, each post includes vertical plates which extend laterallyto each side thereof, a plurality of vertically spaced hooks are carriedby each vertical plate and extend outwardly from its edge thereof atright angles thereto and form an upwardly open slot therebetween, slotsare formed within said panels at positions corresponding to said hooks,said slots being wider than the thickness of said hooks to providelimited lateral movement therebetween, and means define an L-shapedrecess within the end of each panel facing a corresponding corner ofsaid post, and a vibration absorbing member is positioned within saidrecess and captured between said panel and right angle corner surfacesof the post.
 2. The partition and lining construction as claimed inclaim 1, wherein each panel comprises: metal plates spaced by a core,S-shaped end members extending between said plates at respective ends ofsaid panel, and wherein said slots are formed within the side of saidS-shaped end members at the inner half thereof, and the outer half ofsaid end member is open and forms said recess.
 3. The partition andlining construction as claimed in claim 1, wherein said securing membercomprises: a rectangular tubular member slotted at its upper end atright angles to the plane of said vertical plate, and wherein said meansfor fixing said securing member to said upper deck comprises: apositioning plate having its lower end received by said slot, and itsupper edge abutment welded to said upper deck.
 4. The partition andlining construction as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means forsecuring said tubular posts at their bottom to the lower deck comprisesa channel member and welded to said deck with its open face extendingparallel to said panel members and receiving the bottom of said posts.5. The partition and lining construction as claimed in claim 1, furthercomprising: backing spacers extending between adjacent posts, eachbacking spacer comprising a sheet metal member having slots at each endat right angles to the longitudinal axis of the same, said slotsreceiving said hooks to accurately control the lateral spacing of saidposts and said partition and lining panels carried thereby.
 6. Thepartition and lining construction as claimed in claim 5, wherein saidbacking spacers comprise inverted U-shaped metal members havingcorresponding aligned slots within said sidewalls at respective ends andwherein said posts have vertically spaced hooks extend away in oppositedirections along edges of both vertical plates, and wherein slots ofrespective sidewalls of said backing spacer receive corresponding hookswhich extend outwardly from said posts to each side thereof.
 7. In apartition and lining construction for a ship including horizontallyspaced, vertically oriented posts extending upwardly from a lower deckand supporting respective ends of laterally extending panels, theimprovement wherein: each post comprises a rectangular tubular supportmember and a securing member which is telescopingly received within theupper end of said support member, means fix respective ends of securingmember and said post to said upper and lower decks, respectively, eachpost includes vertical plates which extend laterally to each sidethereof, a pLurality of vertically spaced hooks are carried by eachvertical plate and extend outwardly from its edge thereof at rightangles thereto and form an upwardly open slot therebetween, slots areformed within said panels at positions corresponding to said hooks, saidslots being wider than the thickness of said hooks to provide limitedlateral movement therebetween, and wherein, backing spacers comprising asheet metal member having slots at each end at right angles to thelongitudinal axis of the same further receive said hooks to accuratelycontrol the lateral spacing of said posts and said partition and liningpanels carried thereby.
 8. The partition and lining construction asclaimed in claim 7, wherein said backing spacers comprise invertedU-shaped metal members having corresponding aligned slots within thesidewalls thereof at respective ends and wherein vertically spaced hooksextend in opposite directions along edges of both vertical plates andwherein slots of respective sidewalls of said backing spacer receivecorresponding hooks which extend outwardly from said post to each sidethereof.
 9. A method for accurately locating a partition or lining for aship comprising: welding positioning plates to the bottom surface of anupper deck at laterally spaced locations and at right angles to theplane of the partition to be supported thereby, positioning a pluralityof horizontally spaced, vertically oriented posts carrying a telescopingsecuring member within the upper end of the same and wherein saidsecuring member is slotted at its upper end in a plane corresponding tothe plane of the positioning plate to be received thereby on said lowerdeck at positions generally corresponding to the positions of saidpositioning plates, and extending said telescoping members such thatsaid slot within each securing member receives the lower end of arespective positioning plate, and shifting said posts and the securingmember carried thereby along the plane defined by the positioning plateand at right angles to the plane of the partition to be supportedthereby, until properly positioned, and welding each positioning plateto its securing member at the engagement area of said slot and saidplate, and welding the bottom of each post to said lower deck.